Professional Documents
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TT F-8460
By E. Stuhlinger
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B y E. Stuhlinger
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Examples of t h e t h i r d category a r e given i n Table 111. They belong
t o b a s i c research whose primary goal i s t o broaden our knowledge of nature.
It i s obvious t h a t t h e r e s u l t s can be applied t o space t r a v e l p r o j e c t s ,
but these problems a r e not studied w i t h t h e i n t e n t i o n of supporting a
c e r t a i n given developmental p r o j e c t of space t r a v e l . Research work of
t h i s kind o r i g i n a t e s i n the ideas of i n d i v i d u a l researchers, not i n t h e
c o n t r o l l e d programs of development l e a d e r s . Universities, research
i n s t i t u t e s , i n d u s t r i a l research l a b o r a t o r i e s and i n some cases a l s o
research d i v i s i o n s of developmental c e n t e r s are the homes of b a s i c
research. The only help which the S t a t e can give a t f i r s t i s t h e p o s s i -
b i l i t y of good t r a i n i n g and l a t e r t h e p o s s i b i l i t y of free and undisturbed
research. The financing of t h i s b a s i c research should be taken care of
i n p a r t by the departments of education and i n p a r t by industry as a
contribution t o t h e c u l t u r a l l i f e of a nation.
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(20 t o 30 ma per em2) and of high y i e l d (over go%), and t h e n e u t r a l i z e r ,
which must n e u t r a l i z e t h e ion current a f t e r it leaves t h e accelerator
chamber, and t h i s must be done down t o t h e small f r a c t i o n of one percent
by adding e l e c t r o n s , whereby charge d e n s i t y and current i n t e n s i t y must
disappear. The work on both problems has already exceeded years ago t h e
limits of a simple t e c h n i c a l development and has entered t h e research
f i e l d s of surface physics and plasma physics. Solutions which can be
used have been found, b u t they need f u r t h e r improvement.
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date occurred i n Fabruary 1956; the second most intense i n November 1960.
The next maximum a c t i v i t y i s t o be expected around 1967-1968, a time
which unfortunately coincides w i t h t h e planned date of the f i r s t manned
moon f l i g h t . The danger of s o l a r f l a r e s f o r manned space f l i g h t s must
not be underestimated. While a dose of a few hundred rem seems permis-
s i b l e f o r men, t h e 1956 f l a r e would have meant a dose of 2000 rem f o r t h e
unprotected space t r a v e l l e r . An e f f e c t i v e r a d i a t i o n p r o t e c t i o n a g a i n s t
r a d i a t i o n s of such i n t e n s i t y i s too.heavy for present space vehicles.
Fortunately, f l a r e s of such i n t e n s i t y a r e very r a r e , and t h e p r o b a b i l i t y
of t h e i r appearance during the few days of a moon f l i g h t i s small. The
f i n d i n g of r e l a t i o n s h i p s between f l a r e s and other sun e f f e c t s which occur
a long time ahead of t h e f l a r e s would be of g r e a t e s t imgortance. The
Russian a s t r o p h y s i c i s t Severny of t h e Crimea Observatory developed a
theory according t o which f l a r e s occur always when opposite poles of two
s o l a r spot p a i r s meet i n t h e i r motion across t h e sun surface. The mag-
n e t i c f i e l d s then mutually cancel each o t h e r , and the energy which was
s t o r e d i n them causes a plasma cloud t o e r u p t .
propulsion j e t :
y% = E/c2
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u = f i n a l velocity
c = l i g h t velocity
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TABLE I . RFSEARCH PROBLEMS OF PRESENT PROJECTS
Mechanical p r o p e r t i e s of b i g space v e h i c l e s
Proofing and l u b r i c a t i o n materials f o r extreme temperatures
Burn-off s t a b i l i t y i n b i g rocket engines
Electronic devices of high s e n s i t i v i t y and long l i f e
Communications devices of g r e a t band width
Aerodynamics i n t h e hypersonic f i e l d
Wind i n t e n s i t i e s a t high a l t i t u d e s
Meteorite occurrence frequency i n proximity of e a r t h and moon
Physics of the high atmosphere
Physics of t h e moon surf ace
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TABLE IV. RESEARCH FIELDS FOR LAEiORATORIES
Gases and s o l i d s a t extremely high temperatures
Fatigue phenomena of materials under extreme conditions
Light metals of high s t r e n g t h
Very compact e l e c t r o n i c devices
Millimeter waves for navigation and guidance methods
Laser physics and technology
Solar b a t t e r i e s of high y i e l d
Plasma physics
Reaction k i n e t i c s of d i l u t e gases
Ion sources of high i n t e n s i t y and long l i f e
System Factor y
Chemical (02 + J p ) 5 x 10-11
Chemical (02 + H2) 10-11
Space t r a v e l medicine
Radiations, p a r t i c l e s and f i e l d s i n space
S o l a r physics
Lunar physics and p l a n e t physics
Traces of l i f e on p l a n e t s and i n space
Cosmology and cosmogony
Weather f o r e c a s t i n g on e a r t h